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    El Gallito

    3.8 (259 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    EL GALLITO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - El Gallito

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    Chilaquiles
    laurie e.

    Best chilaquiles I've had in seattle so far! Great service and the best prices on drinks super friendly staff. Beautiful art on the walls very welcoming here.

    Chili Relleno dinner plate with their authentically prepared  Mexican rice and beans
    Jenn S.

    Family owned and operated for several decades now, it's a spot where the locals go so as a visitor from the other coast I'm thankful I'm in the know! Ambiance reminded me of all the mom and pop places I've visited all over Mexico, where you feel like you're being welcomed into someone's dining room and not just a cold commercial looking space. I was told that their menu used to be VERY extensive until the pandemic happened and it forced them to condense their menu down considerably. Regardless, everything from the freshly fried tortilla chips to the spicy and mouthwatering salsa, their flavor packed carne asada, the oozy gooey cheese packed chili rellano and the ginormous torta were all freshly made, deliciously seasoned and outstanding texturally too! I LOVED LOVED that their Mexican rice was not just colored steamed mushy white rice that most places quickly whip up but properly prepared Mexican rice: rice sauteed in a little oil til golden brown toasted, then seasoned with garlic onions and some peppers and colored and further flavored with some tomato puree. This was perfection. Their refried beans were also given lots of time and love as it was deliciously flavorful as well! Service was a little slow but it just gave us more time to talk and eat more of their addicting salsa and chips! It's a MUST visit every time you're in Seattle proper!

    Brian R.

    Seattle has a lot of good Mexican food - but holy smokes, for classic Mexican food, this place ROCKS! And the prices are actually reasonable compared with everywhere else that has gotten absolutely ridiculous. I highly recommend this restaurant. It was a random find for me as I'm not usually in this neighborhood. But I'm super glad I stopped by. This will be a new go-to anytime i am on this part of town. They don't have a bar so expect to sit at a table, but the service is super spot on.

    Me
    Joey L.

    Food was ok I ordered a steak burrito with no veggies of course they still put diced onions in it portion was ok not enough meat in the burrito though price is ok customer service is ok showed up at 5 was out by 5:30 decent decor was hoping for more quality then quantity

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    23 days ago

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    5 days ago

    Excellent food,salsa and customer service!! The chips were cooked to perfection and the best guacamole I've ever had!!

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    2 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    They're my neighborhood Mexican family restaurant and I love them. Fast, friendly, and reliable.

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Best Mexican in Seattle. Period. Everything made with quality ingredients and amazing.

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    2 years ago

    I tried the carnitas and I am not joking, it was the best carnitas I've ever had. We love El Gallito and come at least once a week.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Literally go to this place all the time! highly recommended! Most of the Mexican food in Seattle/Bellevue sucks. This place is great!

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    2 years ago

    Awesome staff and great comfort food. Portions were large will be going there next time I'm in town

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    2 years ago

    Tried for the first time today after a friend recommended. Kind staff, good food, clean, and comfortable.

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    5 years ago

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    Page 1 of 7

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    Koko's - Guacamole Chips & Salsa

    Koko's

    (188 reviews)

    First Hill

    A nice Mexican restaurant in Capitol Hill. I went here for Sunday dinner and it was not busy, but…read morereservations are suggested. The decor here is pretty colorful and ornate. We sat near the bar high top and ordered Mexican corn and poblano cashew enchilada with carnitas. Both dishes were enough for 2 people to share. The Mexican corn is fairly standard, with cotija and some chips to supplement the dish. Portions were quite decent and the corn was fairly good. The cheese is nicely melted for that nice long cheese pull. The poblano cashew enchiladas were very delicious. After all, people say that's the dish that makes them stand out. There are 3 pieces of enchiladas with a generous amount of carnitas. There's also some pickled onions and other fixings to enhance the dish. The sauce was rich yet not too heavy. Service was really good. They checked up on us once in a while and ensured prompt water refills. The whole experience from the food to the decor to the service, is top notch and worth the above average price tag.

    such a cute spot for delicious mexican food and tasty cocktails in seattle. the vibes are…read moredefinitely more upscale and moody, so this is one of those places that i'd say is good for a girls night out, date night, or just showing visitors around. service is great, our waiter was super sweet and helpful. the staff also cleared our table pretty swiftly and even offered us new plates at one point, which i really appreciated. one of my friends also came here for her birthday and she got a little something on the house, so i can definitely say service is top-notch! foodwise, even though koko's is more expensive than your average mexican spot (you're totally paying for ambiance and service too though), the portions are heaping. i barely finished my enchiladas and all of my friends took their meals to-go. (those burritos are massive omg.) the mole enchiladas were SOOO good, as were the cashew poblano enchiladas. their sauces are so yummy and the presentation was on-point for both enchiladas. i also had a bite of my friend's carne en morita which is a slow cooked pork dish, and i was obsessed. the only thing i'd say to pass on would be the tacos. drinks were also great and had amazing presentation. i was very satisfied with my carajillo and my friend's passion fruit mojito was also very tasty (you could NOT taste the alc in it i swear) overall, koko's is a great spot if you're looking to dress up for a cute night out but also craving some tasty mexican food.

    Asadero Ballard

    Asadero Ballard

    (1.5k reviews)

    $$

    Ballard

    Everything was top notch, delicious and excellent. Perhaps one of the best steak dinners I have had…read morein any restaurant anywhere.

    Immediately upon being seated we were greeted with a platter of fresh fruit, cucumber and mint to…read moreadd to our water glasses. SUCH an incredible and unique touch/experience. The table also has two glass bottles of water for refilling as needed which I always appreciate. We started with the Bone Marrow and Queso Fundido and both were delicious. 10/10, no notes. I typically don't like Queso Fundido because it gets so greasy and the cheese hardens fast but this was flavorful, spreadable and the chorizo was a nice compliment not the main event. The Bone Marrow was exactly what you'd expect! So yummy. For our mains we got the Buenos Aires Torta (actually the reason we came to try Asadero) and the shrimp tacos. The bread for the Torta was flavorful and perfectly toasted. The steak was delicious and the chimichurri was so good I just wish there was more! My husband got the tacos and he said they were also very good! After we finished eating we were offered peppermint tea (complimentary) which was another really unexpected and unique touch/experience! The service from everyone was great. Very friendly. Quick service. The establishment was clean and so cozy but also upscale in a very chill way. Bathrooms were clean and smelled good with cute decor. It's not a huge place but I think that's what allows for such an attentive experience. From start to finish we really enjoyed ourselves and will absolutely be back with friends or family!

    Pancita - Beef brisket suadero tacos

    Pancita

    (91 reviews)

    Ravenna

    Excellent! The food, service and ambiance were all top notch. I love how cozy the corner restaurant…read moreis. The food was delicious- we started with the sourdough, then the Caesar, brisket tacos and finally the chorizo-stuffed trout. All of the ingredients were high quality and prepared perfectly. We loved every bite and will absolutely be back.

    I really, really wanted to like this place. We'd heard through word of mouth that they were serving…read moredishes straight out of Mexico City, so on a whim one Friday night, my partner and I grabbed a 7:45 reservation--which, honestly, might've been the first sign. I'm usually a fan of a smaller, curated menu because it suggests care in sourcing and execution. But for us, the execution just didn't land. Everything is served family-style, but the portion sizes didn't justify the price point. We started with the sourdough and butter spread, and it was a letdown right away. The bread was hard as a rock, and the butter--while sounding interesting--came slightly burnt and didn't feel worth $11 for two pieces. Next was the albacore tuna tostada. As someone who travels to Mexico City often, I was genuinely excited for this. But it leaned heavily on avocado, with barely any tuna to balance it out. For $25 and only two tostadas, it felt pretty stingy. The rapini quesadilla sounded promising but ended up tasting mostly like broccolini and mushrooms--nothing that really stood out or justified the dish. We finished with the 21-day dry-aged steak, which, at $59, felt like it should've been a highlight. Unfortunately, it missed the mark. It came out essentially raw, which I didn't mind in theory, but it was incredibly chewy and lacked flavor. It was difficult to cut and even harder to enjoy. The tortillas were nice, and the demi-glaze had potential, but overall it just didn't come together. Even the refried beans on the side were underwhelming--something you could easily find done better at a casual spot. On the bright side, the mezcal margarita with a tajín rim was excellent--well-balanced and probably the highlight of the night. And the service was warm and attentive, which I appreciated. But overall, for the prices and the hype, this place just didn't do it for me. Maybe we ordered wrong, but I've had much better elsewhere. I hate to say it, but I probably won't be back.

    Maiz Molino - Dip sampler

    Maiz Molino

    (125 reviews)

    $$

    Denny Triangle

    Went back to Maiz Molino recently on a Sunday night for dinner w/ friends. I was disappointed to…read moresee that the menu has changed a lot (and not just seasonally, but just a completely different menu) since the last time I visited (maybe a year ago or so). Before it seemed like Maiz Molino was focusing on elevated, unique Mexican dishes (shown in the pics in my prior review such as short rib, and other sort of "fusion" dishes, and more seafood focused, etc.) Now, the menu seems way more generic and casual like enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tamales, etc. just offered w/ different proteins. They are still focusing on maiz but just a bit more generic in the preparation and offerings. Also, they had 2 separate menus which was a bit confusing. One is a generic all day menu and then another menu had brunch and dinner on it. It was around 5:30 p.m. but they were out of a particular steak dish that we were interested in. Service was friendly. We had enchiladas, a dip sampler (for appetizer) and Tlacoyos. Everything was fine but nothing really stood out, sadly. It wasn't very busy while we were there, so hoping that they are doing ok as a business. I would love to come back if they brought back the old menu w/ things that you cannot really find elsewhere, including the great cocktail menu and desserts that were offered previously.

    This place WOW-ed me. My fiance and I didn't make reservations the day before Valentine's Day and…read morethought we would just try our luck. So many of our regular spots had lines out the door, which was no surprise, but we ended up getting a table here. Figured Mexican food is hard to mess up. Started with drinks- THE BEST MARGARITA I HAVE EVER HAD. It was perfectly balanced, fresh, just perfect to me. My fiance got a horchata and loved it too. They have an option where you can try ALL of their dips for $20, which I couldn't resist. It was so fun, they had like 9 different ones! I got the shrimp tacos and they were so flavorful that I almost gasped. The creamy sauce, crunchy veggie toppers, smooth avocado, and perfectly cooked shrimp...just wow. I will be dreaming about this dish for years to come. I am a pescatarian and gluten free and there were TONS of options for me. They mostly use corn for everything, not flour. The staff was gracious and kind. They seemed a little understaffed but truly made the most of it and made every table feel attended to and special, which was so lovely. Really cool vibe- lots of art and special touches. A really cool place that I can't wait to recommend to friends.

    El Gallito - mexican - Updated May 2026

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